Category: Wine Festival

Reboule Du Rhone NYC 2017

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The 1st annual Reboule du Rhone wine tasting in New York City was held on Saturday November 18th. La Reboule is the traditional end of harvest celebration in the Northern Rhone Valley of France for the harvesters, winemakers and cellar staff. This event brought Northern Rhone wines and producers together with many local Somms for a weekend of wine tastings, dinners and seminars to raise funds for the No Kid Hungry organization.

The event was held in the glass lined atrium at 180 Maiden Lane, an office building in lower Manhattan next to the South Street Seaport.

In northern Rhone the only permitted red grape is syrah. Only a small amount of white wine is produce with viognier used in Condrieu and Chateau-Grillet and marsanne and roussanne for the rest. If you like to drink California wines you will like wines from the northern Rhone, generally, the viogniers are lush and the syrahs are bold, peppery and meaty.

Inside the Winning Women in Wine lounge they served a couple of tasty snacks: beef tartare, wild rice, shiso and sunchoke chips and venison sausage, turnip kraut, cranberry and rye.

Some of what I sampled:

White

2015 Domaine Pierre Gonon Saint-Joseph Blanc “Les Oliviers”. Light gold with a honey notes on the nose, nice mouthfeel of canned peaches ending with a nice balance.

2015 Domaine Faury Saint-Joseph Blanc. Light gold, floral nose, moderate body on the peachy fruit, nice balance.

2014 Andre Perret Condrieu “Clos Chanson”. Light yellow, barnyard nose, full fruit of honey and peaches, moderate finish.

2013 Louis Barruol Hermitage Blanc “La Pierrelle”. Light yellow, citrus honey on the nose, with cooked veg notes on the full fruit.

Red

2015 Laurent Betton Saint-Joseph. Dark purple, roast meat on the nose, silky red cherry fruit, balanced.

2015 Andre Perret Saint-Joseph Rouge “Les Grisieres”. Dark purple, roast meat on the nose, silky purple fruit with roast vegetable notes on the finish.

2015 Aurelien Chatagnier Saint-Joseph “La Sybarite”. Black in color, roast nuts and meat on the nose, firm, dusty fruit.

2015 Julien Cecillon Saint-Joseph “Babylone”. Dark red to black, crushed red berries on the nose with firm, tight black fruit.

2007 E. Guigal Saint-Joseph “Vignes de l’Hospice”. Dark brick, black leather and mint on the nose with chewy fruit and a long finish.

2015 Domaine Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage. Dark purple to black, closed nose, chewy, woody, dense.

2015 Domaine Rostaing Cote-Rotie “Ampidium”. Purple with chocolate covered cherries on the nose, chewy with slate notes on the fruit, nice balance.

2014 Domaine Jean-Michel Stephen Cote-Rotie “Coteaux de Tupin”. Dark purple, fresh rosemary on the nose with chewy, funky fruit.

1996 E. Guigal Cote-Rotie “La Landonne”. Brick with an amber rim, pretty perfume of red leather, smoky, meaty fruit with a moderate to long finish.

2015 Clusel-Roch Cote-Rotie “Classique”. Black, closed nose of black leather, chewy with a hit bit tannins at the end.

2012 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage. Dark brick, tar and mint on the nose, chewy black licorice fruit, long finish.

2011 Louis Barruol Hermitage “La Pierrelle”. Dark brick in color with green bell pepper on the nose, dusty fruit.

2015 Domaine du Coulet Cornas “Brise Cailloux”. Dark purple with black licorice on the nose ending with red cherry fruit.

2013 Domaine du Coulet Cornas “Brise Cailloux”. Dark purple with a big nose of green herbs with red cherry fruit.

 

 

Raw Wine New York 2017

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The Raw Wine Fair was held in London and Berlin before coming to New York City on November 5-6. The festival was created and organized by Isabelle Legeron as a forum for wines that reject the industrial and over manipulated big brands for wines that are authentic, low intervention, organic and biodynamic and grown with sustainable agricultural practices.

The fair was held in a warehouse space in the industrial, graffiti-filled hipster neighborhood of Bushwick, Brooklyn at 99 Scott Avenue. There were over 100 growers showcasing their wines.

The grey, misty weather didn’t keep people from the event and it seemed they had more wineries in attendance this year than in last.

 

Some of what I sampled:

Castagna Winery. Haven’t tried many biodynamic wines from Australia and haven’t tried many Australian wines made from Sangiovese. 2013 “Un Segreto”. a Sangiovese and Syrah blend, medium red, tar notes on the nose, starts chewy and ends with firm acidity. 2013 “La Chiave”, all Sangiovese, medium red, tar and violet notes on the nose, tight, bitter cherry fruit, medium finish.

Clos de Caveau. A winery in Vacqueyras, Rhone Valley. 2014 “Carmen Brillant”: Medium red, closed nose of red berries, concentrated, silky fruit with tobacco notes and roast nuts on the nice balance. 2015 “Fruit Savage“: Medium purple, closed nose of black licorice, chunky, crushed rocks on the fruit, balanced, moderate long finish.

2015 Sine Felle Toscana Bianca: Orange wine from the Malvasia varietal, dark orange with orange peel notes on the nose, earthy with good balance.

2009 Sine Felle  Chianti Riserva: Dark amber, bright red leather on the nose, chewy licorice fruit, nice grip at the end, long finish.

2016 Sine Felle Canaiolo: This varietal used in Chianti is not normally bottled on its own, medium red, sour cherry on the nose, sour, bitter cherry on the fruit ending with some funkiness on the fruit.

2014 Rocca di Carpeneto “Erche”: Dolcetto, dark red, violet, green herbs on the nose chewy slate on the fruit, firm tannins.

2013 Podere Borgaruccio “Rivale”: Medium red, crushed fresh rosemary and some petroleum on the nose with dusty, mouth coating tannins on the moderate finish.

2015 The Scholium Project “The prince in his cave”: An orange wine made from Sauvignon Blanc, dark orange in color, orange peel on the nose, moderate fruit with orange peel fruit, good balance.

2014 The Scholium Project “Sylph”: Chardonnay, light gold in color, damp earth on the nose, ripe fruit.

2015 Pallazzo Tronconi “Mocevo”: Sangiovese and Merlot blend, dark red to black, cooked red berry on the nose, mouth coating tannins, balanced.

2015 Pallazzo Tronconi “Donnico”: Made from indigenous grape varietal Olivella, dark purple, smoky, cooked earth on the nose, bright red fruit.

 

 

Food Network Grand Tasting & Outdoor BBQ 2017

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The 10th annual Food Network New York Food & Wine Festival was held on October 12-15. It was four days of 100+ events including dinners, wine tastings, classes, seminars and late night parties with 100% of the net proceeds going to the Food Bank for New York and the No Kid Hungry campaign.

I began the festivities on Thursday evening by attending the Tacos & Tequila late-night party held at the boutique Hudson Hotel at 237 58th Street in Manhattan. It was hosted by taco aficionado Aaron Sanchez and featured many styles of tacos and much tequila infused cocktails.

On Sunday I attended a couple of events, I began at the Grand Tasting held at Pier 94 at 55th street and the West Side highway. The event space was a 130,000 sq. foot “culinary wonderland” of food, wine, spirits and culinary demonstrations by Food Network and Cooking Channel stars.

I have covered this event in the past and was somewhat disappointed this year. In past years there was a separate room that featured higher end wines that were not available on the main floor. That was not the case this year, they omitted that room which for me took away much of the excitement of the event. It became just another large consumer event with a lot of mid-level wines.

Afterwards I walked next door to the Coca-Cola Backyard BBQ event held at the top floor of an unused multilevel parking garage. The event was hosted by Andrew Zimmern, Chef and host to the Travel Channel show, Bizarre Foods, and by Pat LaFrieda of Pat LaFrieda Meats. The event had pit masters grilling all sorts of meat, and even squid which was washed down with cold beer, wine and cocktails. An excellent live band provided the music and as this years event was “family friendly”, there were plenty of kids enjoying the event as well.

 

Some of what I sampled at the Grand Tasting:

Tablas Creek Winery. Winery in Paso Robles California that specializes in Rhone varietals.

2012 Esprit de Tablas Blanc: Gold in color, honey notes on the nose, kiwi, melon on the fruit, nice balance.

2014 Esprit de Tablas Noir: black in color, black olives on the nose, chewy dark chocolate on the fruit, nice grip, good balance.

2014 Patelin de Tablas: Dark amber, closed nose of crushed herbs, tight with firm acids and tannin on the bitter red cherry finish.

Kendall-Jackson Winery

2015 Pinot Gris: Medium yellow with cantaloupe on the nose, dried herb on the finish with nice acidity.

2015 Grand Reserve Chardonnay : Medium gold, toasty nose, with big oak notes on the fruit.

2013 Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark black, slightly closed nose of crushed dark berries, very concentrated with dusty, silky tannins and good balance.

2014 Ferrari-Carano Siena: Dark red to black, closed nose, juicy and concentrated, tree bark on the fruit, good, firm finish.

2014 Ferrari-Carano  Cabernet Sauvignon: Black, crushed ripe plums on the nose, thick and concentrated with some mint notes, balanced.

2014 Cambia Winery Pinot Noir “Benchbreak”: Medium amber, crushed blueberry and mint on the nose, tight, smoky finish.

 

 

Newport Mansions Wine & Food Fest 2017

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The 12th annual Newport Mansions Food & Wine Festival was held September 21-24th in Newport Rhode Island. Newport is about a three and a half hour drive northeast from New York City. The event was a fundraiser for the Preservation Society of Newport County, a cultural organization that protects and preserves Newport’s architectural heritage. Sponsors included Food & Wine magazine and Maserati.

The event was held at the Marble House, one of many gilded-age mansions in Newport at 596 Bellevue Avenue. It was built between 1888-1892 for Mr. and Mrs William K. Vanderbilt at a then cost of $11 million, $7 million of which was spent on marble. Subtle is not a word to describe the interior rooms of the mansion.

The fest was four days of wine dinners, seminars, chefs demos with grand tastings on Saturday and Sunday. I attended Sunday afternoon and the event actually took place on the back lawn of the mansion overlooking Narragansett Bay.

Local and regional Chefs provided food, a favorite of mine was a green gazpacho with jalapeno oil topped with lump crabmeat and any of the beef and pork that the Dole & Bailey meat purveyors were grilling. In the sweltering heat of the afternoon those grill masters manage to sling the meat while maintaining a borsht- belt chatter with the guests. In the authentic Chinese tea house on the lawn, it was “rosé all day” with wines from Chateau d’Esclans.

As far as consumer wine and food fests go, this is one of the nicer ones with a great venue, a good selection of wines and spirits and tasty food from the locals.

The afternoon started out hot and sweltering so I focused on rosé and sparkling wines and managed to try a few reds at the end of the day.

Some of what I sampled:

 

2016 Chateau D’Esclans Whispering Angel, Rock Angel, Garrus

2016 Notorious Pink Grenache

2016 Martin Ray Rosé of Pinot Noir

NV Gosset Brut Grande Reserve

2012 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino

2010 Pichon-Longueville

2014 Justin Isosceles

2014 Justin Justification

 

 

Toast Of Brooklyn

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On September 16th I Attended the 10th annual Toast of Brooklyn, “a global wine, food and art festival”.

This year the event was held at Restoration Plaza on 1360 Fulton Street, an outdoor event space in Bedford-Stuyvesant in central Brooklyn

It was an outdoor event and featured many international wines and a surprisingly huge selection of some very good high-end spirits. Aperitifs and cordials such as Campari, Aperol, Gran Marnier and many others, excellent rums such as a 21-year and a 25-year-old rum from Appleton, local whiskeys including Bourbons from Kings County Distillery, and even a watermelon infused vodka/tequila hybrid from Vodkila to name of few.

In addition to wine and spirits, there was a fashion show by Sonia Noel designs and a cooking demonstration from Vladimir Lebrun of Chef Indeed.

The weather was gorgeous and the venue never got overcrowded as some of these consumer events do at times. It made for nice late afternoon of strolling around the plaza grazing on wines and spirits.

 

 

Jersey City Wine Fest

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On September 9th Saturday evening I attended the Jersey City Wine Festival. The event was held at the Harborside Atrium at 153 Exchange Place in Jersey City, New Jersey. This event space is one stop on the path train over (on more correctly, under) the Hudson River from lower Manhattan into New Jersey. As you get out of the train station you are greeted with a stunning view of the lower Manhattan skyline across the river.

It was the usual consumer wine event with a wide range of mid-level wines with a vodka and gin thrown in. Some food vendors were on hand as was good live music provided by the Stereo Junkies Band. The event space was large and airy and accommodated the crowds without too much of a wait time at the wine tables. People were having a good time.

Some of what I sampled:

 

Whites

2015 La Crema Chardonnay

2015 Reata Chardonnay

2016 Silver Palms Sauvignon Blanc

2015 Fish House Sauvignon Blanc

2016 “J” Pinot Grigio

2015 Talbott “Kali Hart” Chardonnay

2013 Georges Deboeuf Macon-Villages

2016 Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc

 

Reds

2015 BR Cohen Pinot Noir

2013 Reata Pinot Noir

2014 Firesteed Pinot Noir

2015 L’Umami Pinot Noir

2013 Lauca Reserva Pinot Noir

2013 Silver Palms Cabernet Sauvignon

2014 Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

2016 Les Hauts de Lagard Bordeaux

2016 Paolo Marcarnono Barbera

2016 Bertoldi Gran Passione Rosso

2015 Argiano Rosso Toscano

2013 Aldo Conterno Langhe

2015 Bere Toscana

2014 Lindemans Gentlemans Collection Red Blend

2014 Los Vascos Carmenere

2013 Mas de Berceo Graciano

 

 

Wine Fest At The Golden Nugget 2017

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On August 26th I attended the 7th International WineFest held at the Golden Nugget casino located at 600 Huron Avenue in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Golden Nugget is one of a handful that are located in the marina district which is a few minutes from the famous boardwalk. The event is the brainchild of Scott Tarwater, the corporate director of wine and special events for Landry’s Inc (the owner of the Nugget) who has passion for fine wines and as it was, a colleague of mine when we worked at Disneyworld back in the day.

The Fest began with a jazz on the lawn reception on Friday evening and culminated with the Grand Tasting on Saturday evening which I attended.  The event was a walk-around tasting and while there were no trophy wines being poured there was with a good representation of wines from the major wine-producing regions of the world. A live jazz band played and food was served as well.

Unlike some consumer wine events, the event was never overcrowded which made for a comfortable evening of wine sampling. Wine reps were on hand to answer questions and they were ably assisted by several lovely young ladies. People were having fun.

Some of what I sampled:

 

White

2015 Chateau Suau Cotes de Bordeaux Blanc (Bordeaux) Light yellow with a greenish tint, tangerines on the nose with crisp medium fruit.

2014 Beringer Chardonnay “Private Reserve” (Napa Valley) Medium to dark gold, toasty tropical fruit on the nose, big, fruity with oak notes on the finish.

2015 Clos Pegase Chardonnay (Mitsuko’s Vineyard)  Medium yellow, ripe peaches on the nose with stone fruit and tropical fruit on the tight finish.

2015 DeLoach Vineyards Chardonnay (Russian River Valley) Light yellow with tropical fruit notes on the nose and finish, moderate acidity.

2016 B.R. Cohn Chardonnay “Silver Label” (Russian River) Medium yellow, tropical fruit with some earth on the nose, juicy tropical fruit with a firm finish.

2015 Coppola Vineyards Chardonnay “Jaws” (Sonoma/Monterey) Medium yellow, earth and melon on the nose, juicy fruit with slate notes, crisp finish.

2016 Shannon Ridge Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc “High Elevation” (Lake County) Light yellow with a grassy, herbaceous nose, sweet fruit with lime notes on the finish.

2015 Domaine Weinbach Pinot Blanc “Reserve” (Alsace) Light yellow with a greenish tint, tree bark on the nose with good acidity on the fruit.

2016 Wolf Blass Chardonnay “Reserve Release” (Australia) Yellow with greenish tints, pineapple on the nose with oak and tropical fruit on the finish.

 

Red

2014 Vail Llach “Embruix” (Priorat) Medium red with tar notes on the nose, bitter cherry and almonds on the finish.

2014 Chateau Suau Cotes de Bordeaux Rouge (Bordeaux) Medium red, petrol on the nose, very concentrated with dark plum on the fruit, good balance.

2013 Rocca di Montemassi “Sassabruna” (Tuscany) Medium red, closed nose of dark fruit with a hint of tar, concentrated and tight with bitter cherry on the finish.

2015 Gaja “Magari” (Tuscany) Medium to dark red, smoky nose with a hint of anise with chocolate notes on the moderate fruit.

2015 Bodegas Garzón (Uruguay) Medium red with stewed fruit notes on the nose, juicy black fruit with green fruit on the finish.

2013 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon (Knights Valley) Dark red to black with crushed dark fruit and dark chocolate on the nose, concentrated black fruit, coffee and chocolate on the moderate balanced fruit.

2013 Swanson Vineyards Merlot (Napa Valley) Dark red with smoke notes on the nose, dark cherry fruit with good acidity.

2015 Shannon Ridge Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon “Reserve” (Lake County) Medium red, crushed black fruit and mint on the nose, juicy with dried herb notes and moderate acidity.

 

 

Bastille Day NYC 2017

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Bastille Day (July 14, 1789) celebrates French independence day. For over 20 years in New York City it has been celebrated with a three-block street festival on East 60th street between 5th and Lexington avenues in Manhattan.

The festival was run by the French Institute Alliance Francaise (FIAF) whose mission statement is to “create and offer New Yorkers innovative and unique programs in education and the arts that explore the diversity and richness of French culture”. FIAF is the go-to organization in New York City for Francophiles to attend French cultural events including wine tastings, watch French cinema and learn the French language.

The block party had French themed performers, pastries, crepes and of course, Mimes. At their office on 22 East 60th street they held a “summer in the south” tasting which featured wines from Sud de France, Kronenbourg beer, Richard digestive, and cheese and charcuterie from trois petits cochons and President. They also held an after party at Amali restaurant on 115 East 60th which continued with more wine, beer and cheese.

 

 

 

Westchester Magazine’s Food & Wine Fest 2017

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This past June 6-11 Westchester Magazine held its annual food & wine festival. It was six days of culinary, wine and cocktail events with the signature event, the Grand Tasting Village held on Saturday afternoon. At the Grand Tasting 50+ local restaurants served their signature dishes, everything from pizza to tacos with 200+ wines and spirits to wash them down with.

It was an outdoor event held under the tents at the Kensico Dam Plaza in the Hamlet of Valhalla, Westchester, a sleepy village about a forty minute train ride north of Manhattan.  In addition to the many booths serving food and wine was the “connoisseur’s tent” where extra special juice was poured. It also offered a quiet space from the crowds in the general admission area.

Some of the wines I sampled:

 

Whites

NV Tattinger Brut La Francaise”

NV Moet Chandon Brut “Imperial”

2005 Tattinger Comtes de Champagne

2014 Domaine Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris “Rotenberg”

2014 Domaine Zind Humbrecht Gerwurtrztraminer “Calcaire”

2008 Trimbach Riesling “Cuvee Frederic Emile”

2013 Alain Chavy Pugliny-Montrachet “Les Clavillons”

2013 Pierre Matrot Puligny-Montrachet “Combettes”

2015 Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio

2015 Infiné 1939 Pinot Grigio

2015 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Santa Barbara County

2013 Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay Napa Valley

2015 Au Contraire Chardonnay Russian River Valley

 

Reds

2012 Penfolds “Grange”

2013 BV Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve “Georges de Latour”

2013 BV ‘Tapestry”

2013 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve “Knights Valley”

2013 Beringer Vineyards Napa Valley “Quantum”

2012 Stags’ Leap Winery “Ne Cede Malis”

2009 Chateau St Jean “Cinq Cepages” 1.5L

2013 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2014 Stonestreet Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2014 Columbia Crest “H3”

2007 Bertani Amarone

2014 Tenuta Guado al Tasso “Il Bruciato”

2013 Secco-Bertani Original Vintage Edition

2010 Rocca della Macie “Sasyr”

2005 Faustino I  Rioja Gran Reserva

2012 Louis Jadot Beaune 1er Cru

Amaro Lucano

 

 

 

Brooklyn Crush 2017

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On May 13th I attended the 3rd annual Spring edition of Brooklyn Crush, a “wine & arts food festival”. The event was organized by NY Wine Events which runs several wine themed events throughout the year. This one was held at Industry City, an industrial complex of event spaces near the waterfront around 36th street in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. They featured 175+ wines, cider and some beer and nibbles from local venders.

No trophy wines here but many budget friendly wines. One that stood out was the 2015 Los Pilares LaDona Sparkling Muscat. It’s a Pet-Nat wine from San Diego County, foot-stomped, with a thick layer of wild yeast on the bottom of the bottle, orange, fizzy and surprisingly dry. Some other standouts were beer from Goose Island Beer Co. which poured their specialty beers Gillian, Halia, Juliet and Sofia a couple of which were funky and sour.

Tasty nibbles from Les Trois Petits Cochons, Beecher’s Cheese and very tasty locally made charcuterie from Ends Meat.